I'm shocked! (not)
May 23, 2005
The Army reaffirms its heartfelt sorrow to the Tillman family and all families who have lost loved ones during this war. The Army is dedicated to keeping families informed before Soldiers deploy, when they deploy, while they are deployed and when they return, but most especially when there is a death or serious injury. In every case, the Army acts with compassion and a heartfelt commitment when informing grieving families. This often is an extraordinarily painful and sensitive duty that must be performed and the Army takes it seriously.
In the case of the death of Cpl. Patrick Tillman, the Army made mistakes in reporting the circumstances of his death to the family. For these, we apologize. We cannot undo those early mistakes.
In the 393 days since his death, the Army actively and directly informed the Tillman family – keeping them apprised of the results of three separate investigations into the matter and dedicating a personal team of more than 10 Soldiers and Army civilian employees to communicate personally with them. The members of this team range from two non-commissioned officers who notified the family, a major who continues to assist the family, a casualty affairs staff, a medical examiner, a brigadier-general commander, and a three-star general from the Army Headquarters – all of whom personally expressed our sympathies while ensuring the family was as well informed as they could be through numerous phone calls and in-person meetings with family members to answer questions with candor and completeness. This continues today.